Carbureter apparatus for internal-combustion engines.



W. GRIKSCHEIT. CARBURETER APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED Amm. |915.

1,240,440.. Patemedsfpt. 18,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. GRIKSCHEIT. CARBURETER APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.8. |916.

U nu! 0% 01m m IIIIIII 5 .QN ,6 Q I I e ,I o :TU Il e IG@ I I um w rul e M Nm ,m a N IMI e@ e RN n@ I Lm l D1 I -L YIIVl N I NN @I 1/ Y U MT @.4 .II MMM. QN Il# f, 4 III l IIL LWLGALIQ,

W. GRIKSCHEIT.

CARBURETER APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL CONIBUSIION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED AUG.8. |916.

1 ,240,440. Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI 3.

ES PA i WILLIAM GRIKSCHEIT, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, .ASSIGNOR OE TWO-THIRDS T ormoni.

'WILLIAM D. REID, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA,A .AND IONE-THIRD TO ROBERT Gr. REID, ST. JOI-INS, NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA..

CABBUBETER Arrnitnrns non INTEnNAL-ooMBUs-rron ENGINES.

1,24on4o.

To @ZZ whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GRIxsoHErr, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, formerly of New York,

,in the county andd State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvemerits in Carbureter Apparatus for Internal- `CombustionEngines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a carbureter apparatus for internal combustion engines, and it has for itsobject to provide means whereby heavy fuel oil, such as' kerosene, can be utilized for the production of an explosive mixture of high efficiency in respect of economy, power and iiexibilityof operation.

According to the principle of my invention I mix atmospheric air with a'heavy liquid hydrocarbon and heat the mixture in such a manner as to producel a superheated vapor which is so richin hydrocarbon that it cannot be ignited; and I .then cool (but do not condense) the vaporand variably supply artifcially-humidied air thereto in response to the variations in the speed of the engine to which the invention is applied.

In the form of embodiment of my Yinvention herein illustrated 'I employ va carbureter whereby a rich mixture of loil and air is secured; a heating structure into which the mixture is'V- delivered and therein converted into superheated vapor, and` a relatively long conduit through which the `vapor is conducted from said structure-to. a

,apparatus embodying the principle of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the heating structure and adjuncts, part of the body being broken away tofshow internal passages.

Specification of Letters Patent. q APafqeimte Sept. i18n, 1917;'. Application led August 3, 1916. Serial No. 113,700. I I

Fig. 5 is a similar section, partly in eleva--` tion, ofthe air-humidifying structure and its connections with the conduit from the heating structure; showing the gasolene carbureter in section.

Fig. 6lis a plan of the humidifying structure, parts being broken away for clearness.

Referring to Y,the drawings, 10 designates a carbureter or analogous structure by means of which an admixture of air and oil, such as kerosene, is effected. This carbureter in the form illustrated includes a verticallymovable venturi 11 communicating at its lower end with the atmosphere7 and an oil nozzle 12 projecting centrally into the lower restricted portion of the venturi and operatively connected `with the float chamber 13 comprising the carbureter body. The annular air inlet encircling the tip of the nozzle is so proportioned relatively to the bore of the'nozzle that inthe operation of the engine the quantity of air drawn into the venturiis small compared withthe quantity of oil carried from the nozzle by the inrushing air current The nozzle outlet is provided with a needle valve 14 which is'connected with the venturi so that as the latter is more or less lifted in response `to the' variations in speed of the engine, the valve is actuated to adjust automatically the area ofthe 011tlet and thus proportionately regulate the delivery of oil. to theventuri.

The neckofkthe carbureter is connected to a heating structure having a retortor chamber 15 Which-isadequately heated byA The chamber 15 in orgler that the very rich mixthe exhaust gasesgfiom the engine. venturi is in open cmmunication with the ture of oil and air, as rapidly as it is protherein converted into a superheated vapor having a' relatively high temperature. This n vapor is so rich in hydrocarbon that it cannotbe ignited. f

- The form of heating structure herein-illusp-trated comprises an elongated hollowloodyA 105 16 having at'its respective ends an inlet and an outlet for the exhaust gases from the en-l gine.. The inlet is connected with the exduced, will be delivered 'to said chamber and i haust'gas pipe'l 17 from the engine, and the;

outlet is provided with a discharge pipe 18.

' The pipe 17 opens into and forms, in eHect,

a continuation of a Hue"l9 which extends within and longitudinally of the heating chamber, said Hue beingy so'constructed and proportioned in respect to the heating chamber that the mixture of air and oil from the yec carbureter 10 may be introduced' into one end of said chamber and permitted to How in a prolonged course therethrough in contact with the wall of the Hue for the efficient production of the superheated vapory preparatory to its discharge at the end of the structure adjacent the Hue inlet. The inner end of the flue communicates by way of spaced passages 20 with a chamber 21 in' Avalved communication with the outlet for the exhaust gases. This chamber 2l opens directly into one end of a Hue 22 which extends beneath and longitudinally of the heating chamber 15, and communicates at its opposite end withy a return Hue 23 leading lto and communicating with the exhaust gas outlet, as at 24. Thisv outlet is provided with a suitable valve 25, such as the butterfly type shown, which is so disposed* that it may be operated to close or open the direct communication between the chamber 21 and the outlet. When the valve 25 is closed, the exhaust gases entering the cham- .ber 21 are diverted therefrom to the Hue In pursuance of one feature ofgmy. in-.

vention thermostatic. means is -provided whereby the valve is automatically controlled in response to the varying requirements; that is to s ay, when the heat of the heating structure exceeds a predetermined temperature the valve is opened to permit, the direct How of the exhaust gases to the disharge pipe 18,and then,4on the other hand, when the temperature of such structure falls to or below the prescribed limit, the valve is closed in order to permit the prolonged How of the exhaust gase'sjin contact with the wall of the heating chamber. Any appropriate, thermostatic means may be employed. The form shown-includes a casing 26 suitably supported on the external wall of the heating structure, and metallic thermal members 27 yarranged Within the-casing and successively connected with The final member projects through the bottom of the casing and contact's' with a set-screw 29K on one armV of a suitably-disposed lever 30, the other arm of which is connected by 'means of a link 31.

nec-onto with a cranlr' arm 32 on the pivot stud of the valve 25. A spring 33 secured to the latter arm of the lever `and to an adjacent projection` on the wall of the casing tends to Y maintain the' valve normally closed. j It will be seen that during the contraction and expansion of lthe thermal members in response to the varying temperatures of the 4heating structure the lever* is automatically actuated in a manner to open o r close the valve.

The superheatedv vapor evolved in the heating chamber 15 Hows into and through a long conduit 34 which is suitably connected with the manifold 35 of the engine,

the connections including a throttle valve",

, 36 of any'A ordinary or approved type by the manual operation of which the supply of the charge to the engine can be controlled. This conduit 34 is provided at a suitable point between the heating structure and the throttle valve with an air-inlet connection 37 with which is operatively connected an air-supply pipe 38. The connection is preferably equipped with a spring-loaded pupp et valve 3Q which normally closes the inlet, but is retracted to open the latter during the intake strokes of the engine piston or pistons. The air inlet is located ata point sutiiciently remote from the heating structure to permit the appreciable cooling 'of the rich vapor preliminary to the admixture of vhumidiied air therewith; the temperature being such that no condensation of the vapor takes place, and therefore there is no liability of deposition of oil in the conduit.

yIn the present instance the cooling conduit is exposed to the atmosphere and air currents and is of sulicient length and has suliicient cooling surface to insure the requisite cooling of the vapor in its passage therethrough from the heating structurel to the air inlet, the fall in vapor temperature atl ranging from 30o to 70 F., more or less,

according to the temperature of the superheated vapor when it Aenters the conduit. The conduit ccmstitutingI the cooling means for the superheated .Vapor may, of course, be coiled, water jacketed or otherwise appropriately constructed to provide the requisite cooling surface whereby the vapor Ais adequately cooled without condensation preparatory to the admixture of the humidiied air therewith. The volume of air delivered to the vapor greatly exceeds that supplied to the oil at the carbureter 10, such larger volume of air being uniformly moistened before its admixture with the vapor'in order to produce an explosive mixture having a high percentage of relative humidity. The cooling ofthe superheated vapor before the admixture of the humidi- Hed' air therewith not only facilitates the efficient humidification of the vapor,I but it also insures tlie admission to thecylinderof increased weight or density of the extemperature by the initial operation of the engine through the medium of an explosive mixture of alighter fuel, as gasolene, andy air. Accordingly va carbureter 40 for vthe lighter fuel is operatively positioned adjacent the throttle and manifold connections, and the passage of the mixture from said carbureter 40. for delivery to the manifold, is controlled by a suitable valve 41 which may be manually or otherwise operated. (See Fig.

An important feature of my invention is that the air which is introduced to the vapor flowing from the heating chamber is always maintained at or near the point of saturation, irrespective of load. Furthermore by the operation of the suction-controlled inlet valve 39 the humidilied air is variably supplied to the vapor in response to variations in the speed of the engine.

A typical means for humidifying the air his herein illustrated and will now be dedesignates a casing,

scribed. Referring .to Figs. 5 and 642 rectangular in crosssection, adapted to contain within its lower portion a body `of water. This casing is provided with a suitable overflow 43 to determine thewater level, and it is also provided with a cover plate 44 through which extends adjacent to one corner thereof the elongated vertical limb 45 of aU-shaped air-inlet pipe which depends to or near to the bottom of the casing diagonally thereof. The other vertical member 46 rises to a level somewhat below the cover-plate and its wall is provided with a multiplicity of perforations 47 throughout the greater part ofgits length, as shown. The wall of the lower cross-member 48 of the air-inlet pipe is also forations 49.

` Depending into the casing to a plane somewhat above the level of the water is an outlet pipe 50 which is connected. at its upper end to the air-supply pipe 38 leading to the air-inlet connection 37 of the conduit;

the wallof4 the pipe 50 being perforated throughout a considerable portion of its provided with a series of rows of small perk length, as at 51. Within the casing, between the foot of the pipe 50 and the head 0f the verticalpipe member 46, is a series of horizontal partitions comprising perforated plates 52 arranged in spaced relation to each other. In the present instance four partitionsl are employed, the opposite ends of alternate partitions being spaced from the adjacent walls of the casing so as to afford communication between the successive chambers and provide an extended passage for.

air entering the uppermost chamber fromthe pipe member 46 and flowing to the foot of the outlet pipe 50 in the lowermost chamber, as indicated by the arrows. rlhe iioor i of the latter chamber comprises. aplate 53 which .declines slightly from the wall of the casingl at apointbelow the pipe 50 to the opposite wall of the casing, adjacent to which'the ioor is preferably ,provided with 'an opening having-a depending drain pipe 54. rlhe perforated partition platesf52 and' the floor plate 53 are covered with `felt 55,

or other suitable absorbent material, and l the perforated limbs of the inlet and outlet pipes respectively, together with the under side' of the cover plate of the casing are similarly covered, as shown in Fig. 5.'

By the construction and larrangement of parts just described in respect of the airhumidifying structure, it is to be noted that when the .motor is idle the water within the casing percolates through the absorbent material about the pipe 45 and then through the perforations 49, filling the tube 45, 46

with water up to the level lof the over-flowA pipe 43. When the' motor is started atmospheric air enters the open mouth of the inlet pipe member 45 during the intake strokesof theengine, which air displaces the volume of water in the pipe and splashes it into and through successive chambers of the casing.

Part of the water is deposited within the uppermost chamber and part escapes through the perforations of the pipe member 46, 1

thereby wetting the contiguous bodies of felt. rlhe water percolates through the felt in the uppermost chamber and through the 'perforated partition, and thus it passes from chamber to chamber and is progressively l' taken up bythe opposingy absorbent mate-v rial. Thereafter during the operation `of the motor the air, passes through the devious felt-lined passages within the casing to the outlet pipe 50 and thence to and through the pipe 38 leading tothe valved inlet to the ing is drawn in a mist or spray into the airinlet pipe through the feltjcovered perforated cross member 48 and thence within theperforated pipe member 46 by the'variable air pressure. Partof the water is deposited within the uppermost nchamber ofthe casing and part escapes through Ithe perforations of the pipe member 46, thereby in-,

cooling conduit. The-water within the cassuring the continued saturation of the conter-vapor through the' perforations of the respective pipes, thus freely distributing the water-vapor among the absorbent coverings and bringing the impinging air to or near to the point of saturation before its escape from the casing, Hence the humidiied air when it is delivered to the cooling conduit,

is approximately saturated, irrespective of 1the'load of the engine, and as a result the diffusion of the humidified air with the vapor is rapidly effected, and a homogeneous explosive mixture of high `eciency is obtained. n n

I preferably provide the top of the humidiier casing with a series of air-inlets 56 and a rotary regulating valve 57,7 therefor,

:.. y y and fu/el;,means for rece1v1ng said mixture Y defined in the appended claims.

whereby the admission of additional air to the casing can, if desired, be had in order to avoid the possible production'within such easing of a vacuum of too high degree during the working of the engine. Y

It is to be understood that the invention forming the subject of the present application is not limited tothe specific constructions shown and' described, as the elements may be variously modified without departing from the principle of my invention as y Further-p more, that the carbureter, the heater, and the air humidifier, separately considered, embody various novel structural features which will form the subjects of separate applications for patents.

What I 'now claim is- 1. In a carbureter apparatus for internal combustion engines, means for mixing air and fuel; means for receiving said mixture and 'converting it into superheated, vapor; means for receiving the said superheated vapor and reducing the temperature thereof, and means for supplyinga relatively large proportion of artificially humidiiied air` to the cooled` vapor. v

2; In a carburetor. apparatus for internal combustion engines, means for mixing air and converting it into superheated vapor; means for -receiving the said superheated vapor and reducing the temperature thereof, and means for supplying a relativelylarge' proportion of'artiicially humldified .fair to the cooled vapor, said air-supplying means including a valve for automatically controlling th flow ofthe humidiied air.

3. In a carbureter apparatus for internal naad-lao combustion engines, means for mixing air and fuel; a structure comprising a chamber for receiving said mixture and converting it into superheated vapor; means for-maintaining said chamber at a predetermined temperature; means for receiving the said superheated vapor and reducing the temperature thereof, and means for supplying a relatively-large proportion of artificially humidified air tothe cooled vapor, said airsupplying means including a valve for automatically controlling the flow of the humidiy' fied air. Y

5. In a carbureter apparatus for internal combustionl engines, means for mixing air and fuel; means for receiving said mixture and converting it into superheated vapor; a conduit leading from said latter means, and

means for supplying artificially humidiied air to thel conduit at a point suiiiciently remote from the vaporizing means whereby the superheated vapor in its passage through v-said conduit is partially cooled, but not condensed, before the admixture of the humidified air therewith.-A

l 6. In a carbureter apparatus for internal combustion engines, means for mixing air and fuel; means for receiving said mixture and converting it into superheated vapor; a

conduit leading from said latter means, and means for supplying artificially humidied air to the conduiti at apoint sufficiently rel mote, from the vaporizing'means whereby the superheated vapor 1n its passage.

through said condiiit is partially cooled, but not condensed,'before the admixt'ure of the humidilied air therewith, saidair supplying means including' a valve for automatically controlling the admission lof the humidiied air to said conduit.v

V7. In a carbureter apparatus for internal `combustion engines, means for mixing air and/fuel; a structure comprising a chamber for receiving the mixture and converting it into superheated vapor; means for maintaining said chamber at a predetermined temperature; a conduit leading from the said chamber, and means fon supplying artiicially humidied air to the conduit at a point vsuliiciently remote from said chamber wherebyy the superheated vapor in its passage through said conduit is partially cooled, but not condensed, before the admixture of the humidified air therewith.

5 into superheated Vapor; means for main-l 1,24o,4eo r y 8. In a carbureter apparatus for internal/ through said conduit is partially cooled, but combustion engines, means for mixing air not condensed, before the admixture of the and fuel; a structure comprising a chamber humidified air therewith, said-air supplying for receiving the mixture and converting it means including a valve for automatically :15

controlling the admission of the humidified taining said chamber at a predetermined air to said conduit. c

temperature; a conduit leading from said Signed at Detroit in the county of Wayne chamber, and means yfor supplyingV artiand State of Michigan, this 4th day of icially humidiied air to the conduit at a August A; D. 916. 9 point sufficiently remote from said chamber whereby the superheated Vapor in its passage WILLAM GRIKSCHET. 

